Mangled Fate
by Illuminastro
Summary: Ripplestream's grown up learning to hate, despise, and still he has kept it in. But for a mistake, he will learn mercy doesn't always come too. One shot for FroggyClan's 2014 June/July I Challenge You To A Writing Contest!


**Herwo! Dis is a one shot for a challenge in FroggyClan! :)**

"Where have you been?" Stormfrost yowled, growls and hisses following in agreement. Rage shown in his Clan's eyes, fury shimmering just in the way their claws flexed into the grass, the harshness of it making him want to flinch. He resisted the urge to turn back and flee once more, but he knew it would do no good. Scarce feelings came to him, holding back the raging hurt- but he wouldn't leave.

He was a part of this Clan. He knew the memories would never leave, no matter how far he ran. Destiny, to Ripplestream, was a strange, cruel thing. Fate was no better, already decided, but hidden. He wasn't sure, whether he had already occurred upon his destiny, or whether his paw's weren't ready to stop moving.

_And StarClan knows what I'll do after I 'meet' destiny! _Ripplestream thought with a frown, but a cuff, with a slight prick of claws that were only sheathed- with great difficulty knocked him out of his thoughts. Although not making a slight dent in the big mass of what he called Pain, it caught his attention to the waiting, impatient Warriors. Most of them looked angered, furious and in disbelief of what he had done. But some, those with the softer hearts and open minds, looked confused, almost willing to give a chance. But he knew, that was a far leap in which he shouldn't hope to land in, it was the closest to impossible he knew.

"Well," He spat, not showing his mourn. "What would you have done, after you narrowly escape from three Clans trying to kill you?" He tried with great pain to keep the hatred in his voice, in which he had so much of- but so little. Any desperation, any tiny squirm for hope, and he was caught.

Ripplestream, what he was known as, information and whispers- never with fondness- would reveal a ruthless cat with a cold sliver of ice hanging on in him from what he had as a heart murderer. Murder, something that would occur rarely, from bare stories of what he'd heard, and ever so obviously 'a big deal'.

Now his Clan, RiverClan, basically the greediest, mangiest, not to mention stinkiest, Clan of them all- not that he had much experience with the others. Only one or two Gatherings had he been to without stares, whispers, and not sitting or talking with anyone. Now, they only gave wariness, and fear, if not hate.

Fear. It was, one of the biggest owners in his whole sea of pain. What he despised most. He looked like other cats, nothing abnormal about his dark blue eyes, or his light grey pelt. Nothing suspicious about black tail tips or ominous about silver tabby stripes. Or was that just him? Yet every cat knew who he was, or 'what' as the rumors betold. No one could be fooled by his, rather handsome, appearance, if he was ever lively enough to feel that way.

"And yet I wouldn't have done anything, such as murder a Medicine cat to make the Clans feel that way!" Howled the cat before, known as Stormfrost, the all mighty- and rather annoying- noble deputy.

His _absolute favorite _cat.

Memories stuck him, calling out the fear he had shoved in so far. His mind scrambled with orders, intentions to shape up.

Destiny? Was this it?

Absolute terror was marked on his face, as it was called back to him. One split second, half of a heartbeat, would never be expected to be so terrible. He heard grunts, even mews of confusion, with all of them now, marked with wonder. His claws sheathed, for the first time in a long time. His screaming mind took control over what it could, he would make sure he didn't hurt anyone. But he couldn't stop his thoughts to wander.

_Horror and anger struck through him as his anger boiling over from where he could contain. Cats were terrible creatures, and for now that also consisted of himself. Ripplestream's paws lept from the ground, wings given to them as he passed over cats, eyes all having snapped up in alarm to him and his claws glinted in the pale Moonlight, shimmering in his eyes, illuminating the cold fury. _

_A brief, absolute terror struck wail fled into the harsh night air, filling his ears and making it even worse when his claws sunk in, passing fur and blood seeped out, splashing up onto his paws and the awful smell reeked off. The scream was cut off as Ripplestream's claws sank in deeper, only an ever so dreadful silence hanging in the air. That moment, where he smelt the murder itself. That moment, where he heard the cry. That moment, where he felt the horror. That moment, where he tasted the fear. That moment, where he saw the anger and terror gleaming in every cat's eyes. _

_All of his senses screamed at him uncomfortably, and he just wanted to close his eyes and disappear. But a shattering shriek split the moon, causing the stars to crash down above him. But in the heart beat he had, through the wispy clouds, the moon remained. "Cinderpool!" _

_Claws lunged for him, swiping under the hazy light and missing by every whisker and piece of fur. Ripplestream's muscles bunched as he sprang away, his heart clenching. Only one paw was able to scarcely scrape his tail as he disappeared into the trees. He knew they would try to go after him, but with the quick instincts of a RiverClan cat and the speed of a WindClan cat, they had no chance of finding him._

His history was a strange one. With a mother in RiverClan and a father in WindClan, he had grown up with no friends, and usually no daily conversations, except with brief training sessions with Rainfeather, his mother- and the only cat who was willing to train him. Grown up on hatred, only fed anger and the feeling of being despised.

"You killed my sister." The voice, heard once before that night, seemed soft and hurt, yet furious and filled with hatred. Rosewing's amber eyes glinted in the thinning dawn light. "What right do you have to stay alive?"

Instincts shaken, Ripplestream barely managed to bound to the side as the she cat lept for him, claws out stretched. The she cat faltered, her paws gripping into the ground to keep her position. She turned to him, fangs bared. Rosewing growled and flashed out a paw, slicing through the air and barely catching him on the nose. The red she cat's tail whipped from side to side as she concentrated on him. The other cats simply watched, none with disapproval, and if worry only for the fairly-new warrior. Ripplestream revealed no emotion to her, to anyone as the attack carried on.

Rosewing yowled in frustration and began to race towards him, and when he jumped into the air to avoid the strike she leaped up afterwards, taking him in surprise. Only shock pulsed in his veins as he was batted to the ground, pain beginning to inch at him afterwards as the grieving, furious she cat pinned him down, letting her claws sink deep into his shoulders. Now, grunts of surprise echoed in the clearing- a cat had taken Ripplestream down.

But he didn't hate it. He quite enjoyed the flowing feeling of defeat, and hurt that he was making a cat happy, to avenge their dead sister. Multiple eyes, gathered in the semi-circle of the Camp stared at him, with flattening glee. It was the first time anyone had looked at him- without hate or disappointment. Rosewing lowered down, her mouth open and teeth reflecting the morning light. He squeezed his eyes shut and prepared himself for the Death instead she bended down and stopped about a mouse length from his ear.

"I can't do it." She whispered faintly, loosening her grip on him. "Warriors don't kill."

Stormfrost padded over coldly, he could tell by the way the claws flexed on the grass and the voice that followed. "You won't have to, Rosewing. You don't have to kill him." This caught his attention, Mercy?

"He was already dead." 

The last words caused his eyes to pop open, in confusion and hurt- no need to mention, fear. Stormfrost's icy eyes were the last thing that caught his gaze as claws struck his throat, and he drifted away with a last twitch.

"_Finally, you've come." The words caught him by surprise, and his vision rested on a black she cat that pushed her way through the ferns. Her green eyes were filled with expectancy, and.. stars. _

"_StarClan? Why am I here? I thought I would have gone to the Dark Forest." Ripplestream added glumly. _

"_That, too, you can." Came another voice, and a ragged tabby tom bounded into the clearing, his amber eyes glinting. Confusion caught him, was this cat StarClan as well?_

"_Well, you get to choose." Proposed the she cat who had come first. "I'm Shadewing, and that is Jaggedheart- he's from the Dark Forest." Interest sparked inside of him, and he turned his gaze to the growling tom._

"_I can introduce myself, mangy StarClan cat." He hissed, then glancing at Ripplestream. "Multiple cats wanted you in the Dark Forest and StarClan, and there's no reason you should or shouldn't go to either."_

Shadewing frowned. "But, mind you, in StarClan you could be considered dangerous, and in the Dark Forest with a soft heart."

_Hurt flashed through him in both reasons, these cat's didn't know him at all. "Is, is there somewhere inbetween?" He asked. Anger shimmered in Jaggedheart's eyes, but still no emotion occurred in Shadewing's._

"_There is." She spoke, obviously taking the Dark Forest tom by surprise. "There is a place, where no Clan Cats go, only the non believers, for instance, kittypets, rogues, loners." _

"_And no, the Dark Forest believes in StarClan." Jaggedheart spat. "We just want them to die, slowly and with pain." Shadewing flinched._

"_Slowly is right! If you ever happen to defeat us, it won't be for until you are gone! You and I both." The StarClan she cat hissed._

_Jaggedheart began to snarl back, only to be interrupted by Ripplestream. "I'll go there. To the place with the non believers."_

"That's impossible!" Scorned the Dark Forest tom, "Didn't you hear? It's for cats who don't believe!"

Shadewing turned to him, her white tipped tail's twitching eased. "It can be done." She bored into him with her electric green gaze. 

_He nodded. Now no one would know who he was, what he could do. He could start over again, make a new life for himself, forget the past and the Clans. _

_Fate? Destiny? He thought so._

**That was soooo much fun c: Well I don't know if I'll win or not, just glad I had something to do for a while CX.**


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